Internal-combustion engine



June 2, 1925. `1,540,602

C. S. CLARK INTERNAL CoMBUsTloN ENGINE Filed May 5. 1924 Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED vSTATES ICE.

CORNELIUS CLARK, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application led' May 3, 1924. Serial No. 710,882.

To all whom t mag/concern.'

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS S. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State l of Virg1nia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention tion engines and of means whereby inder and leakage pro ucts in the respective forms of gasoline, which may be forced past the piston vrings upon the compression and explosion strokes of the engine, and lubricating oil which may be drawn up from the crank case upon the suction stroke.

The invention has for its objects the conservation of fuel and the preservation of the lubricating oil by segregating these surplus leakage products, returning the gasoline directly to the combustible mixture supply,

relates to internal combusproposes the construction the co-acting walls of cyland the lubricating oil to the crank case.

A further object of the invention is the utilization of the vacuum produced by the functioning of the engine, for inducing the return of said segregated products.

In the drawing Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having my invention applied thereto. v

Figures 2 and 3 represent longitudinal sections of one of the cylinders of the engine shown in Figure 1y with the pistons at the opposite limits of travel.

Referring now in detail tothe several figures, the numeral 1 represents a cylinder block supported upon the crank case 2. The cylinders 3 are supplied with combustible mixture by means of a manifold 4 connected to a carburetor 5. Pistons 6 travel in the cylinders. f

None of the features enumerated, in the above paragraph are unusual, except that for the purpose of efficiently carrying out my invention the pistons are provided wltll rings 7 at each end. These rings are for the purpose of sealing the combustion chamber and also the space within the crank case below said pistons from the vacuum which is applied to the portion of the piston and cylinder walls intermediate the piston rings.

It is well known that a portion of the liquid fuel now available for use in internal combustion engines is not volatile at low eniston are relieved of surplus gine temperatures and that it either remains in liquid form or is condensed into a liquid after reaching the engine cylinders. Such iquid, or a portion thereof is then forced down below the piston rings upon the compression and explosion strokes of the englne and finds its way into the crank case. Here it commingles with the lubricating oil, impairing the viscosity of the latter and rendering it unfit for use in a short while so that it is necessary frequently to drain the crank case and throw away the spent oil. rIhis amounts to a waste of fuel as well as lubricating oil, both of which are conserved by the application of my invention.

In carrying out the ent invention, I provide the cylinder wall with an upper annular channel 8 extending thereabout, said channel being located at such point in the cylinder as will be traversed by the intermediate portion, of the piston body but never transected by the piston rings. Said channel is connected with a conduit 9, the latter being one of the branches leading to a manifold 10, communicating with the intake manifold 4 by means of a conduit 11.

A rlower 'channel 12 is provided ,at an appropriate distance 4beneath the channel 8` which lower channel is also within the range of movement of the intermeditae portion of p isconnected by;l

the piston. The channel 12 a conduit 13 with a manifold 14 which leads to the upper portion of avacuum tank 15. Nothing novel is tank per se, vacuum tank principles of the presl claimed for this vacuum it being preferably the same as is generally used for ele-1 vating fuel from'a lower supply tank to a carbureter. The vacuum chamber of the vacuum tank is connected to the intake mani'- fold by means charge pipe 17 of the vacuum tank enters at an appropriate point into the crank case.

In the operation of my invention archarge of fuel mixture is exploded in the cylinder 3 of the pipe 16 and the disi when the piston is at the top' of its stroke` l as shown in Figure 3, said explosion forcing either liquid or vaporized fuel past the upper piston ring 7 and into the annular space between the cylinder and piston walls'and` intermediate the piston rings. This fuel is trapped in the upper channel 8 and carried y suction directly into the intake manifold 4 where it forms a proportion of the fuel being drawn into the cylinder and consumed in the succeeding explosion. This salved fuel enriches the mixture to such an extenty that the carbureter may be adjusted to suply a leaner mixture and a considerable savmg in fuel effected.

When the piston descends upon the suction stroke a high degree of vacuum is engendered within the combustion space prior to the admission of a new charge of mixture, which vacuum causes the drawing up of a quantity of oil from those surfaces below the piston which have been lubricated by splash from the crank case. Said oil is entrapped in the lower channel 12 and carried by suction to theA vacuum tank 15, whence it flows into the crank case. In devices that have hitherto been proposed for the conservation of the lubricating oil by collecting the surplus leakage products no attempt has been made to segregate the gasoline and lubricating oil so that therewould be no mixing of the same. -In fact, inventive endeavor along this line has been directed to the purging of the cylinder walls of excesslubricatmg oil to prevent carbonization of the cylinders and pistons rather than to conserve the lubricating oil in the crank case. In those pistons of which I am aware, where it has been attempted to draw away the surplus oil andv gasoline from between the piston and cylinder walls, the resultin .product has been invariably returne to the engine crank case.

It is also an. established fact that when gasoline or the heavier fractions of the liquid with lubricating oil it is a practical impossibility to separate them by any known process short of actual distillation. By the present invention, however, the gasoline and lubricating oil are never permitted to mix, being segregated by the upper and lower annular channels. It would of course be possible to return the fuel constituent to the fuel supply tank (not shown) if desired, but as the quantity of liquid fuel conserved at each explosion is relatively small it has been found very practical to return it direct to the intake manifold. In the case of thelubricating oil it v has been found necessaryto use a vacuum tank or like device, for, on account of the absence of suction in the crank case it would be impracticable to make a direct connection between the lower channel and the crank Y CaSe.

1. In an internal combustion engine, a'

cylinder .including a combustion chamber, and a crank case, a piston in said cylinder reciprocable relative thereto and sepa-rating that portion of the cylinder wall exposed to the combustion chamber from that part exposed to thecrank case, one of said relatively reciprocable members being provided with means constantly overlain by the other for entrapping fuelleaking rfrom thev combustion chamber past the piston, and with separate means for intercepting the lubricating oil leaking past said piston from the crank case whereby said leaking substances are segregated, and means for returning said substances to the parts of the engine from Whichthey emanated.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a

cylinder including a combustion chamber, and a crank case, a piston in said cylinder reciprocable relative thereto and separating that portion of the cylinder wall exposed to the combustion chamber from that part exposed to the crank case, one of said relatively reciprocable members bein provided with means constantly overlain y the other for entrapping fuel leaking from the combustion chamber past said piston, and with separate means for intercepting lubricating oil leaking past said piston from the crank case, whereby said leaking substances are segregated, and means operating through suction of the engine for returning said entrapped fuel to the fuel mixture intake of the engine, and said lubricating oil to the crank case.

3. In. an internal combustion engine, a

cylinder including a combustion chamber,

and a crank case, a piston in said cylinder reciprocable relative thereto and separating that portion of the cylinder wall exposed to the combustion chamber from that part exposed to the crank case, one of said relatively reciprocable members being provided with upper and lower annular channels extending transversely thereabout and constantly overlain by the other of said reciprocable members, the upper channel functioning to entrap fuel leaking from the combustion chamber past said piston and the lower channel being designed to intercept lubricating oil leaking past the piston from the crank case, whereby e said leaking substances are segregated, a conduit connecting said upper channel with the fuel intake of the engine, a vacuum tank also connected to said fuel intake, a conduit leading from the lower channel to said vacuum tank and a discharge conduit extending from said vacuum tank to the crank case of the engine.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder including a combustion chamber, and a crank case, a piston in said cylinder reciprocable relative thereto 'and separating that portion of the cylinder wall exposed lto the combustion chamber from that part exposed to the crank ease, said Cylinder being provided with upper and lower annular channels extending transversely thereabout,l

said upper channel functioning to entrap fuel leaking from the combustion chamber past the piston and said lower channel intercepting lubricating oil leaking past said piston from the` crank oase, whereby said leaking substances are segregated, a conduit connecting said upper annular channel with the fuel mixture intake pipe of the engine, a vacuum tank also connected t0 Said fuel mixture intake, a conduit connecting said lower channel with said vacuum tank and a discharge conduit leading from said vacuum tank to the crank case of the engine.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder including a combustion chamber,

and a crank case, a piston in said cylinder reciprocable relative thereto and separating `that portion of the Cylinder wall exposed to the combustion chamber from that part exposed to the crank case, one of said relatively reciprocable members being provided with .means constantly overlain by the other for entrap ping Afuel leaking from the combustion chamber past the piston, and with separate means for intercepting the lubricating oil leaking past said piston from the crank case, where-by said leaking substances are segregated, and means for returning Said substances to the engine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand. 1

CORNELIUS S. CLARK. 

